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This undated photo provided by the Ventura County District Attorney's Office shows Jamal Jackson. The homeless man has been charged with murder in a random stabbing attack in which a man was killed while he was sitting down to dinner with his wife and child at a beachside steakhouse in Southern California restaurant. (Ventura County District Attorney's Office via AP)

A homeless man who randomly stabbed a man to death as he was holding his daughter in a crowded Southern California restaurant was reported just a few hours earlier for disruptive behavior but police ultimately determined he was not a threat, authorities said Saturday.

Jamal Jackson, 49, is facing a first-degree murder charge in the death of 35-year-old Anthony Mele. He was being held in Ventura County jail on $1.5 million bail. It was unclear if Jackson, who is also a convicted felon, had an attorney to speak on his behalf.

Mele and his wife were eating dinner with their 5-year-old daughter Wednesday at Aloha Steakhouse in Ventura. The girl was sitting on her father's lap when prosecutors say Jackson walked up and stabbed Mele in the neck.

Prosecutor Richard Simon said patrons and a restaurant employee followed Jackson out of the restaurant, even though he still had the knife. They kept track of him until Ventura police arrived and arrested him.

Mele was taken to a hospital and died Thursday after being taken off life support.

"It's horrible," Simon said. "You don't think you're going to be killed when you go out to dinner at a nice restaurant with your family and you didn't do anything."

Police are asking anyone who spoke with Jackson during that time to contact investigators.

The killing prompted the Ventura City Council to increase police patrols in the area and add staff members to monitor security cameras, among other measures.

"We are extremely disheartened and infuriated by this criminal attack," Mayor Neal Andrews said in a statement. "We will not tolerate this in our community. Nothing is more important than the safety of our visitors, residents and businesses."

If convicted, Jackson faces up to 55 years in prison. According to online court records, he has prior convictions for burglary and unlawful sexual intercourse dating back to the 1990s.

If you would like to donate to a GoFundMe account set up for the Mele family, you may do so here. Note that GoFundMe deducts 2.9 percent of all funds raised, plus 30 cents per donation, in the form of payment processing charges.